The conference is organised by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia and USAID.

We are proud to say that the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia with its transparency may serve as a model to other state bodies in Serbia and abroad, said Djukic Dejanovic. She stated that openness is not a goal unto itself, rather the goal is to build up the institution, the beacon of democracy, which would, among other things, be symbolized by honourable and honest people who would work for the common interest in good faith and with a clear conscience. On that road, said the National Assembly Speaker, one should not underestimate the importance of the guidelines resulting from this conference:

“The process of standardization is a sign of the maturity of our parliaments and social development. The codification of the “unwritten rules” - in this case establishing standards of conduct for the popular representatives - instead of resorting to custom, is a social and civilisational step forward. When MPs belonging to different political parties, independently and freely, through dialogue and compromise, set up an ethical system of conduct and make it available to the public, which Serbia is among the first in Europe to do, we have the right to expect the citizens’ support and positive reception.”

Djukic Dejanovic stressed that the standardisation of the MPs’ conduct is a process and only a strong parliament with independent MPs can guarantee the development of a democratic and free society which we all strive for.